Lady LUX

Hats off to Ellen Christine: She is one woman carrying on the grand tradition of millinery, her work at Ellen Christine Millinery enjoying a particular resurgence of late as ladies take back their femininity and don their hats. Her work will enjoy a particular showcase this June 27 as Christine is the master milliner and official outfitter of the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic to take place on Governor’s Island in New York City.

Christine’s work is exquisite-and comes in all shapes and sizes: From the cloche to the Panama to the frothy wide-brimmed to the bowler (one in particular is covered in gold Moet & Hennessey labels—perhaps taken right off the bottles themselves). She designs hats for men and women and has been at it since the early Eighties. “I was Rockabilly,” Christine says, recalling her early days in New York City, when she and friends would get decked head to toe for a night on the town. That night usually landed them at Area, Danceteria, Limelight, or Studio 54, all the clubs that were all the rage during that and the Punk and New Wave Eras that followed. “Once you developed your personae, you could be that person,” she tells, of the now-famous shimmery makeup, big hair, and ripped, blouson, and colorful clothes worn then—quite often topped by a hat. With the likes of Boy George and Madonna leading the charge, Christine knew she was in her element.

That element though, and her craft, had already taken a nosedive during the Sixties, putting an end to the customary tradition of wearing a hat—as most people did on a daily basis. “There was 30 years where no one bought hats,” Christine laments. She credits fashion designers like Gaultier and Mugler with reviving hats as a garment, as well as shows like “Dynasty” in the Eighties. Still, she has been working to revive the industry for the last 16 years, and realizes that American women are not always adventurous when it comes to their fashion, although she’d love them to be more so: “I am here and will help anybody that wants the help!” Christine jokes. She does observe the television of today changing our ways, with shows like “Mad Men” bringing back more refined dressing for both men and women, head to toe.

Christine says she’s been making beautiful objects since the age of four, gravitating toward hats since she had to wear one to church every Sunday growing up. Her Philadelphia upbringing segued into college in Boston for her B.A., followed by design school at The School of Fashion Design on Newbury Street. She is now a force in the industry. Her charming shop has been open since 1995; before that she sold to the trade only (“I did music videos before MTV did.”) The shop is a destination too, she reports. “You wouldn’t believe the people who come here from New Zealand, or Dubai, and other places around the world, who want something that’s one-of-a-kind—that can’t be found at Harrod’s.” Christine’s work has been the darling of the pages of many magazines such as Tatler, and W, and especially Vogue, including much of their international versions.

As for her very loyal clientele, Christine has had many famous faces wear her hats, such as the actress Vanessa Paradis and former Marie Claire Fashion Director Lucy Sykes, who donned an Ellen Christine creation for the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic last year.

Christine has noticed that women are indeed wearing their hats at horsey events. “All of the racing venues in the past few years are just teeming with women in hats—and girls in hats, kids in hats, teenagers in hats.” “People are super excited to wear something to the event this year,” says Christine who is seeing orders come in left and right (she is still taking a certain amount of rush orders for custom-made hats prior to the event). Last year’s Polo Classic brought 6,000 guests; let’s hope this year brings the same—and that many of them will still wear a hat.

Tagged in: nacho figueras, ellen christine milinery, veuve cliquot polo, prince harry, governor's island,